ORION >>> The biggest news from Orion this year was the introduction of their new Revolution line of modified motors. Claiming no less than 7 different patents for new technology on the motors, the Revolution is the first real departure from conventional brushed motor design that we've seen in some time. Featuring cylindrical brushes, a machined aluminum endbell, angled contact between the brushes and the commutator, a new brush retention spring design, and even an LED to indicate proper capacitor operation, the motors are definitely something different. Orion is offering them in many different wind combinations suited to different types of racing, and they should be priced around the same amount as typical brushed motors.

Also of interest in the Orion booth was the new Motor Performance Monitor, a device which operates as a mini-dyno, giving information on motor RPM and current draw. It can output nearly 8V of power, so it's also a small, lightweight solution for operating your lathe or breaking in motors. Also on display was Orion's Wasp line of engines, designed in a partnership with the Italian manufacturer Picco. These .12 engines deliver between 1.25HP and 1.50HP depending on the model/configuration, and come in a variety of flavors to suit different classes of racing. There are even .18- and .26-sized Wasp engines for monster truck applications. Beyond motors and engines, Orion also offers a full line of batteries, wheels and tires, decals, accessories and more.

			Orion weighs in with the newest in brushed motor design, the Revolution series. Claiming increased brush life, lowered commutator wear, higher RPM and increased power output, these motors could be the next great thing in modified racing.

			A closer view of a Revolution motor's machined aluminum endbell. Since aluminum helps to dissipate heat generated by the motor, the brush and spring temperatures should be lessened as well, leading to increased efficiency and longer life.

			Orion's Wasp line of nitro engines, co-designed with Italian manufacturer Picco. The engines are offered in .12 sizes for racing, as well as .18 and .26 sizes for monster truck use.

You can visit Team Orion on the web at www.teamorion.com.

PARADIGM >>> Team Paradigm was at the Hobby Expo for the first time, displaying some of their hand-tuned modified and stock motors, as well as new tools and other products. Tuning-wise, they are offering a new device to measure brush tension, the Sonic Fiddle Stick II. They also provide complete lines of hand-tuned motors, known as the Signature Series of stock motors and the Hot Mod Series of modified motors, and all motors come with a free motor tube and an extra set of brushes.

Of particular note at their booth, though, was the release of a new piece of scoring software known as RC Scoring Pro. Written by Doug Hay, this software has been in the testing phase for some time now, including at this past year's ROAR Carpet Nationals and NORRCA Carpet Nationals. Having raced with it myself, I can honestly say that I have never seen a better timing software for R/C racing. The time and effort put into its design truly shows, and its practice mode has to be seen to be believed. It is completely compatible with the AMBrc scoring system, and has a very, very robust feature list. If you are in the market for scoring software, be sure to check out RC Scoring Pro.

			Team Paradigm's booth was one of the coolest looking at the show! One of the interesting features of RC Scoring Pro is also visible here, the display of lap times on a Beta Brite electronic board. As racers cross the line each lap, their name and time is displayed on the board. How cool is that?

			The RC Scoring Pro software in action in practice mode. As a new racer goes out on the track, a window with his or her lap times pops up on the screen. Laps are recorded in the system and can be saved, discarded, or selectively printed, making tuning adjustments that much easier to figure out.

You can visit Team Paradigm on the web at www.team-paradigm.com.

PARMA PSE >>> Parma had a few new products to show off this year, the most interesting of which had to be their Speed Scent Nitro Fuel Additives. A small bottle of the scent will treat up to 2 gallons worth of nitro fuel, and will leave your vehicle emitting a pleasant-smelling odor rather than that great nitro methane smell. While Speed Scents won't win you any races, they are definitely an innovative addition to the marketplace. In addition to that and a number of new bodies (what they are famous for!) Parma was also showing a new Parma/Faskolor air compressor, designed for use with the Parma F1 airbrush (or any other airbrush, for that matter).

			You know you've arrived at Parma's booth when you see the pile of monster trucks and their beautifully-sculpted bodies. One of their new releases was the X-Citer body for the Traxxas T/E-Maxx.

			Each of these little bottles of Parma Speed Scent provides enough additive to make 2 gallons worth of nitro fuel smell a whole lot better on its way out of the engine. There are six different flavors, and a bottle retails for about $6.

You can visit Parma PSE on the web at www.parmapse.com.

PERFORMANCE DEVICES >>> A newcomer to the industry, Performance Devices aims to blow the doors off of the "radio crystals are expensive" myth. Offering a wide variety of crystal sets in the 27MHz AM, 75MHz AM & FM, and 72MHz FM bands, PDV is betting on the fact that you'll never need to buy a crystal from anybody else again... and why would you? At $9-$13 for an AM set and $15 for an FM set, these crystals get the job done at under half of what you would pay for their name-brand counterparts. Not only that, they offer a line of 75 MHz AM crystals that work in Futaba, Hitec and JR radios, interchangeably. If you're looking for crystals, check these guys out!

You can visit Performance Devices on the web at www.performancedevices.com.

PRO-LINE >>> Pro-Line had an incredibly active booth this year, sharing space with Protoform and displaying nearly complete lines from both brands. Pro-Line employee and current ROAR national champion Mark Pavidis was on hand to answer questions and show off the company's latest products. With everything from new tires, to new shocks, to plenty of new bodies on display, it's clear that Pro-Line is aggressively expanding its reach in the marketplace.

For the fun hobbyist, Pro-Line has created monster truck versions of the "spinning wheel" fad that is sweeping the nation's full size cars. When the vehicle comes to a stop, these 40 Series Spinner chrome wheels keep spinning, creating the illusion of motion. As weird as it sounds, these are already generating a lot of buzz and will likely be a top seller! Pro-Line is also offering new wheels and tires for monster trucks, such as the 40 Series Mambo wheels for the T/E-Maxx, Savage, Terra Crusher and Monster GT.

Also on the table from Pro-Line were newly designed monster truck shocks, dubbed Power Stroke Performance Shocks. Designed for dual-shock monster truck setups, a Power Stroke shock kit comes with 4 Coil-Over shocks and 4 By-Pass shocks, to be used in tandem at each wheel. Using technology from full-size racing, Pro-Line created this system with high-performance racing in mind. The Coil-Over shocks feature a primary and secondary spring system, for dual spring rates on the same shock. The By-Pass shocks use dampening ports on the shock body with a sort of "reservoir" system to increase the dampening rate as the shock compresses. Both types of shocks are machined from aluminum for looks and performance.

			The Pro-Line Spinner wheels are made with a durable chrome finish and give the illusion of motion when coming to a stop, as well as making the truck look like it's going faster or slower than it actually is.

			Pro-Line's Power Stroke Performance Shocks, as installed in a Traxxas Maxx truck. The Coil-Over and By-Pass shocks work together to create the most realistic suspension action that scale racing has seen.

			A cross-section view of the Power Stroke By-Pass shock, alongside its dual-rate Coil-Over counterpart. Note the dampening ports in between the shock body and the outside reservoir; as the piston is compressed, the number of ports changes, increasing the dampening rate.

			Some of Pro-Line's more popular monster truck wheels, the 40 Series Velocity (top) and new Mambo (bottom).

			This excellent rendition of the Nissan 350Z is designed to fit 1/18th-scale cars such as the HPI Micro RS4. Pro-Line also offers F360 Modena, GMC Sierra and Dodge Dakota bodies for the micro cars.

			New 1/10th-scale touring bodies from Pro-Line, the Nissan 350Z and Crowd Pleazer TC. Both are available in 190mm and 200mm versions, and include window masks and a decal sheet.

			More new 1/10th-scale touring bodies from Pro-Line, including the Aston Martin Vanquish and the Lamborghini Gallardo. All bodies are available in 190mm and 200mm versions, and include window masks and decals.

You can visit Pro-Line on the web at www.prolineracing.com.

PROTOFORM >>> Protoform, a subsidary of Pro-Line, was sharing booth space with them, but still had many of its bodies on display. Still considered one of, if not the top brand in racing bodies, Protoform has most recently made waves with its Alfa Romeo touring car bodies, something that many racers switched to at this year's Reedy Race, with claims of better handling. In addition to its touring bodies, Protoform also has race bodies available for oval and 10th/12th-scale pan-car racing.

			The new BMW M3 and Alfa Romeo 2.0 bodies from Protoform for 190mm touring car racing (200mm versions are also available).

			More bodies from Protoform: the Infinity G35, the Acura RSX, the Vauxhall Astra BTCC, and the BMW M3. All are available in both 190mm and 200mm versions.

			New GTP-style bodies from Protoform as well! The 1/8th-scale PF-1 LMP, alongside the 1/12th-scale Ascari LMP (available in both regular and light-weight versions).

You can visit Protoform on the web at www.prolineracing.com.